TR: Mt Zimmer Yurt

[Aenigma]

This place just started this year, and after getting a taste of the skiing around Cooke City last year, I decided I needed to check it out. We ended up lucking out a bit with conditions--it hadn't snowed for over a week before we got there, but the morning we drove in, it snowed 6"...then it snowed steadily for the rest of the trip. It was great! Anyways, here are a bunch of photos I took.

Here is the yurt, at about 9,500' by Companion Lake. The place is brand new, super warm, and really, really nice. Definitely much better than I had expected, and I really can't think of a way to improve it.


The yurt sits at the top of this line.


Jeremy starting the day out right.


The beginning of a long day of touring.


There are rock pillow lines everywhere here! I've fished this area a ton in the summer, but I did not expect it to be quite like this.


Standing on top of some great stuff right below the yurt.


We decided to try for Glacier Peak on our first full day. As soon as we got to Lower Aero Lake, the visibility was about 100 yards and the wind was blowing pretty hard. We decided to just go for it and see what the weather would do.




The visibility improved slightly as we reached Upper Aero, but still did not look promising.


The sun started hitting the upper end of the basin, and made the way we approached look even gloomier.


So we kept going up...


And we finally got to see the summit!


Looking back down at Upper Aero Lake, as we headed up through huge glacial deposits.


Then, about 1000' short of the summit, the visibility went to shit. We decided to dig a pit and found some pretty touchy wind slabs on top of some really stiff slabs that broke about as clean as I've ever seen, and eventually decided to ski back down.


Skiing in this weather actually made me nauseous, which has never happened to me skiing. I had a hard time telling which way was up, where to ski to go down, or if I was moving at all.


So we got the hell out of there. It was hands down the coolest day I have ever had touring, despite the things that didn't work out.


We skied awesome snow down to Zimmer Creek, and got back to the yurt right as it got dark.

[Aenigma]

The next day, we decided to get some more skiing in. We headed N from the yurt, along a ridgeline that drops into the Zimmer and Star Creek drainages.


Standing partway down one line.


This area was alright.


A couple turns toward the S face of Mt Zimmer, which would be a good day trip from the yurt with better weather.


Someone had to ski all this...


Standing at the top of our last line of the trip, which we skied just this morning! This was the most fun I have ever had on any line in the backcountry. It was powder, trees, pillows, and ice falls from top to bottom, with nothing bad anywhere.


The top section.


Jeremy heading down from the top.


Dropping in to the middle section.


Standing on top of a big ice fall band at the top of the last section.


And the last 20' of the run!


This place was spectacular. The yurt itself was super nice--it's brand new, it's set up great, and it's insulated! We stayed super warm and everything worked perfectly, which was much more than I think I could reasonably expect being one of the first groups into a new place. I'd definitely recommend this place to anyone without sleds who is looking to ski Cooke City, or anyone looking for close access to some of the biggest peaks in Montana this spring.

[Shadam]

STOKE !!!

[tone capone]

Hell yeah man, that looks like heaven right now.

[rockcreek]

fkna thanks for the beta and stoke!!!!

[goldenboy]

Looks like a great area with lots of options, I'll have to keep that one in the back of my mind for "someday". thanks for the all-too-rare TR.

[cocavaak]

When I'm feeling nauseous I just fire up some mmj.

[Norseman]

Weeew! Looks great, man. Sweet access to the big stuff!

Just you and crazyskier?

Any chance you could post up a map of the lines you skied? Maybe hillmap?

[Slaag Master]

feed the stoke!!!!!!!!!!

[jSki]

Classic TGR trip report. Awesome terrain at that yurt.

[beer30]

Sick, been reading Beaus blog for a couple seasons now and that area looks amazing. Thanks for the stoke!

[lifelinksplit]

nice! way to take advantage of the new yurt. props to ben for all his hard work setting up the yurt and the new cabin as well. need to get down there soon before it really blows up

[ODHGABFE]

Looks pretty rad. Hoping to get in on a trip out there in a few weeks. We just spent a few days out at the Woody Cabin, was a grand old time. Will get a TR up sometime soon when I can.

[up_down_all_around]

That looks awesome! I've spent a fair amount of time in the beartooths around Red Lodge in the summer, but I haven't been able to get out there in the winter much. Looks like I need to make it a priority.